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Clarissa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Clarissa

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The baby name Clarissa is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /kləˈrɪsə/ (kluh-RIS-uh).

Clarissa is Latin in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: /kləˈrɪsə/ (kluh-RIS-uh)

What is the meaning of the name Clarissa ?

The baby name Clarissa is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /kləˈrɪsə/ (kluh-RIS-uh).

Clarissa is Latin in Origin.

Clarissa is a Latinate elaboration of Clara, from Latin clarus, meaning "bright, clear, illustrious." It took shape in medieval Romance languages (Italian Clarissa, Spanish Clarisa, French Clarisse) and was also tied to the Poor Clares, whose nuns were often called Clarisses, reinforcing the name’s association with light and renown.

In English, Clarissa appears by the 17th century and gained lasting visibility through Samuel Richardson’s novel Clarissa (1748); Virginia Woolf’s Clarissa Dalloway further cemented its literary sheen. The name enjoyed steady Victorian use and saw a late-20th-century revival in the United States, helped by popular media. International variants include Clarisa (Spanish), Clarisse (French and Portuguese), Clarice and Clare/Clara (English), Chiara (Italian), and Klarysa/Klarissa as alternate spellings in Slavic and Germanic contexts. Nicknames range from Clary and Clare to Rissa and Issa. Overall, it signals clarity and distinction with a timeless, elegant sound.

Clarissa has the following similar or variant Names

Clarissa – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2011 #1 — 1,008
Germany Girls 2020 #1 — 423
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
HN Girls 0 #37 2 884
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MT 0 #40 4 1,767
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
ID Girls 0 #94 9 3,319
QA 0 #102 5 7,011
PH 0 #103 8 5,607
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
PA 0 #133 6 3,797
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
MT Girls 0 #145 9 3,773
PR Girls 0 #148 14 3,171
CR 0 #160 6 5,526
Sweden Girls 2022 #176 4 1,568
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
LU Girls 0 #187 4 4,850
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
NA Girls 0 #232 6 7,146
SG 0 #234 36 11,010
JP Girls 0 #246 6 6,592
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
MO Girls 0 #255 9 7,056
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
PH Girls 0 #268 124 13,098
Canada Girls 2024 #273 13 2,795
JM Girls 0 #276 3 7,507
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
TW Girls 0 #281 9 8,139
QA Girls 0 #284 33 15,378
BR 0 #287 59 5,969
IT Girls 0 #293 5,213 9,415
GT 0 #304 11 5,948
SA 0 #309 4 10,560
MY 0 #317 14 12,352
Austria Girls 0 #318 104 1,885
DK Girls 0 #322 8 7,429
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
SG Girls 0 #330 275 18,916
GH Girls 0 #331 7 6,973
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
MU Girls 0 #339 13 8,539
CZ Girls 0 #349 3 5,378
HK 0 #351 7 8,483
CN Girls 0 #353 7 8,829
PA Girls 0 #353 133 9,861
MX 0 #357 57 8,339
Finland Girls 0 #358 34 1,368
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
OM Girls 0 #372 25 15,987
NL 0 #375 17 2,481
France Girls 2021 #391 15 3,185
Germany 0 #393 45 2,542
IT 0 #398 399 4,183
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
ZA 0 #403 45 14,421
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
BO 0 #406 3 6,868
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
GT Girls 0 #440 66 7,500
PT Girls 0 #440 12 7,952
KW Girls 0 #461 55 19,177
CR Girls 0 #485 48 11,342
AE Girls 0 #496 58 20,968
UY Girls 0 #500 11 6,731
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
CO 0 #507 4 7,768
PS Girls 0 #512 12 10,981
Germany Girls 0 #513 380 4,949
RU Girls 0 #516 8 11,913
CM Girls 0 #527 14 11,671
BH 0 #541 13 17,937
IR Girls 0 #542 4 8,334
BR Girls 0 #559 457 12,708
HK Girls 0 #560 56 16,104
Finland Girls 2026 #569 184 3,895
BO Girls 0 #596 16 9,488
MX Girls 0 #604 823 17,781
LB 0 #616 43 13,263
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #623 8 8,289
IL Girls 0 #638 8 11,648
IN Girls 0 #650 5 13,121
United States Girls 2024 #710 207 8,487
ZA Girls 0 #737 455 25,928
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
NG Girls 0 #763 24 15,093
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
BR Boys 0 #783 3 12,213
MY Girls 0 #802 193 24,821
KW Boys 0 #804 3 18,755
PE Girls 0 #817 127 14,861
NL Girls 0 #833 123 5,933
CL Girls 0 #835 17 14,098
SA Girls 0 #848 88 25,931
TN 0 #864 2 13,765
OM Boys 0 #917 2 17,948
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
Spain Girls 0 #940 44 5,561
MX Boys 0 #971 12 16,355
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
CO Girls 0 #1,018 61 16,140
MY Boys 0 #1,177 6 25,439
MA 0 #1,196 4 20,986
DZ 0 #1,233 2 20,130
TR 0 #1,251 4 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,270 3 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,443 29 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,689 3 28,008

Clarissa is popular in 72 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Switzerland
United States
Sweden

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People also ask about Clarissa

Clarissa is predominantly a girl's name.
Clarissa is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /kləˈrɪsə/ (kluh-RIS-uh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Clarisa, Clarice, Clarisse, Clarita, Claryssa and Claris.
Yes, very popular — Clarissa ranked #1 in Ireland in 2011, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Clarissa ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2011).
Clarissa's popularity is rising. It moved from #399 in 2011 to #391 in 2021 in France.